War of words: Congress acting as 'sub-committee of CPI(M)', accuses Trinamool

KOLKATA: A war of words sparked off again between the Trinmamool Congress and the Congress in West Bengal with the former today accusing the latter of acting as a 'sub-committee of CPI(M)'.

"Earlier we used to say that Congress was the B team of the CPI(M). Now the Congress is acting as a sub-committee of CPI(M)," senior TMC leader and panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said at a rally on the anniversary celebrations of the party's student's wing.

Praising TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee for ousting the CPI(M) from power in West Bengal after 34 years, he said "Mamata has done what Pranab Mukherjee and Priya Ranjan Damunshi could not do."

Party Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh said "UPA is not the sole property of Congress. We are in UPA-II.We will follow the coalition dharma. But we will oppose the FDI in multi brand retail and other measures that will hurt the common people."

On recent questions by state Congress leaders why the TMC continued to remain in the UPA if it opposed government decisions, he said it was in the coalition because the Congress did not have a majority on its own.

A rival celebration of the student wing of the Congress, a coalition partner in the state, alleged that the state had failed to deliver in its 15-month rule.

"The Mamata Banerjee government has failed to keep its pledge to the people in the last 15 months of rule, while there has been no let-up in attacks on Congress workers by Trinamool Congress," Congress MP Adhir Chaudhury said.